Wire harness equipped with protector

ABSTRACT

A protector-equipped wire harness includes: an electrical wire; a protector that includes a pair of side walls that protrude from a bottom, a slide supporting portion that is formed so as to extend in a first direction X, and a receiver that is provided on a bottom side of the slide supporting portion, and in which the electrical wire can be disposed in a groove that is defined by the bottom and the pair of side walls; and an attachment member that includes a band that can be wound around the electrical wire, and a band lock portion that includes a slidable portion that is supported by the slide supporting portion so as to be slidable in the first direction, the band lock portion keeping the band in a state of being wound around the electrical wire.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Japanese patent applicationJP2015-199378 filed on Oct. 7, 2015 and JP2016-185333 filed on Sep. 23,2016, the entire contents of both applications are incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a protector for protecting anelectrical wire, and a protector-equipped wire harness that includes anattachment member for attaching an electrical wire to a protector.

BACKGROUND ART

Patent Document 1 (JPH09-121422A) discloses a protector and a clamp forfixing electrical wires to the protector. According to Patent Document1, the clamp includes a band that is wound around electrical wires, anda lock portion that fixes the electrical wires tied together by theband, to the protector. The protector is provided with a lock hole thatcan be locked to the lock portion of the clamp.

SUMMARY

However, the lock hole according to Patent Document 1 is a through holethat penetrates through a surface of the protector. Therefore, when thelock portion is inserted into the lock hole, the lock portion of theclamp protrudes outward from the lock hole of the protector by a largelength. In this case, there is concern that the lock portion of theclamp, which protrudes from the protector by a large length in a stateof being mounted on a vehicle, will come into contact with membersaround the lock portion, and that an area in which the protector can bedisposed is limited.

Therefore, the present design aims to prevent a portion of the protectorto which an electrical wire is fixed from protruding outward from theouter surface of the protector by a large length.

To solve the above-describe problem, a protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to a first aspect is a protector-equipped wire harness thatincludes: an electrical wire; a protector that includes a plate-shapedportion, a slide supporting portion that is formed so as to extendinward in a first direction from one edge portion of the plate-shapedportion, and a receiver that is provided on a far side with respect tothe slide supporting portion, the protector being provided so as tocover at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface of theelectrical wire; and an attachment member that includes a band that canbe wound around the electrical wire, and a band lock portion thatincludes a slidable portion that is supported by the slide supportingportion so as to be slidable in the first direction, the band lockportion keeping the band in a state of being wound around the electricalwire, wherein the protector and the attachment member are fixed to eachother in a state where the band lock portion of the attachment member isin contact with the receiver.

A second aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to thefirst aspect, wherein the protector includes a retaining protrusion thatis locked to the band lock portion from a side to prevent the slidableportion from coming loose from the slide supporting portion in a statewhere the band lock portion is in contact with the receiver.

A third aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to thefirst or the second aspect, wherein the slide supporting portionincludes at least one of a pair of edge portions that are locatedopposite to each other with respect to a slit that extends in the firstdirection, the slidable portion is supported so as to be slidable in thefirst direction relative to at least one of the pair of edge portions,and the protector-equipped wire harness further includes a couplingportion that couples the pair of edge portions, which are locatedopposite to each other with respect to the slit, to each other at aposition that is away from a trajectory of the slidable portion slidingon the slide supporting portion.

A fourth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to thethird aspect, wherein the band lock portion is provided with a lockprotrusion that is locked to the coupling portion from a side to preventthe slidable portion from coming loose from the slide supporting portionin a state where the band lock portion is in contact with the receiver.

A fifth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to anyone of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the slide supporting portionincludes at least one of a pair of edge portions that are locatedopposite to each other with respect to a slit that extends in the firstdirection, and the slidable portion constitutes a recessed groove thatis recessed so as to allow one of the pair of edge portions to passtherethrough, and includes at least one of a pair of slidable side wallsthat are provided on both sides of the recessed groove.

A sixth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to thefifth aspect, wherein the pair of slidable side walls of the slidableportion are formed such that base end-side portions of the slidable sidewalls are thinner than leading end-side portions of the slidable sidewalls.

A seventh aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to anyone of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the protector includes abottom and a pair of side walls that protrude from the bottom, at leastone of the pair of side walls serves as the plate-shaped portion onwhich the slide supporting portion is provided so as to extend in thefirst direction from a leading end-side portion of the side wall towardthe side wall, and the electrical wire is disposed in a groove that isdefined by the bottom and the pair of side walls.

An eighth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to theseventh aspect, wherein the protector further includes a lid that coversthe groove from a side that is opposite to the bottom side with respectto the groove, and the lid includes a gripping portion that sandwichesthe pair of edge portions from an inner surface side and an outersurface side of a side wall.

A ninth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to anyone of the first to eighth aspects, wherein a portion of theplate-shaped portion, on which the slide supporting portion is provided,protrudes more outward compared to portions on both sides of the portionon which the slide supporting portion is provided.

A tenth aspect is the protector-equipped wire harness according to anyone of the first to ninth aspects, wherein one end of the band is formedcontinuous with the band lock portion, the band is kept in a state ofbeing wound around the electrical wire such that the band penetratesthrough the band lock portion and the other end of the band protrudesfrom the band lock portion, and the protector includes a cover thatcovers at least a portion of a portion around the other end of the bandsuch that the other end of the band protrudes in the first direction.

According to the first aspect, regarding the slidable portion of theattachment member, the slide supporting portion formed on theplate-shaped portion of the protector allows the slidable portion of theattachment member to slide in the first direction so that the band lockportion comes into contact with the receiver, and thus the protector andthe attachment member are fixed to each other. In this case, there is noneed to use a conventional clamp or the like to fix the protector andthe attachment member to each other. Therefore, it is possible toprevent a portion of the protector to which the electrical wire is fixedfrom protruding outward from the outer surface of the protector by alarge length.

According to the second aspect, the protector is provided with theretaining portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the slidableportion from moving in a direction that is opposite to the firstdirection, and coming loose from the slide supporting portion. Thus, itis possible to prevent the protector and the attachment member frombeing released from a state of being fixed to each other.

According to the third aspect, the pair of edge portions, which arelocated opposite to each other with respect to the slit, are coupled toeach other by the coupling portion. Therefore, the pair of edge portionsare less likely to move away from each other, and the slidable portionis less likely to come loose from the slide supporting portion.

According to the fourth aspect, the band lock portion is provided withthe lock protrusion that is locked to the coupling portion. Therefore,it is possible to prevent the slidable portion from moving in adirection that is opposite to the first direction and coming loose fromthe slide supporting portion. Thus, it is possible to prevent theprotector and the attachment member from being released from a state ofbeing fixed to each other.

According to the fifth aspect, the slide supporting portion includes atleast one of a pair of edge portions that are located opposite to eachother with respect to the slit that extends in the first direction, andthe slidable portion includes a recessed groove that is recessed so asto allow at least one of the pair of edge portions to pass therethrough.In this case, it is possible to fix the protector and the attachmentmember to each other using the slide supporting portion and the slidableportion, which have a simple configuration including the slit that isformed in the plate-shaped portion and the recessed groove that isrecessed so as to allow at least one of the pair of edge portions thatare located opposite to each other with respect to the slit to passtherethrough.

According to the sixth aspect, the slidable portion includes a pair ofslidable side walls that define a recessed groove. Also, the slidableside walls are formed such that base end-side portions of the slidableside walls are thinner than leading end-side portions of the slidableside walls. Thus, the recessed groove is formed such that the width of abase end-side portion of the recessed groove with respect to the baseends of the slidable side walls is larger than the width of a leadingend-side portion of the recessed groove with respect to the leading endsof the slidable side walls. In this case, when the slide supportingportion allows the slidable portion to be moved in the first direction,the recessed groove is likely to deform such that the width of theleading end-side portion thereof increases.

According to the seventh aspect, the electrical wire is disposed in thegroove that is defined by the bottom and the pair of side walls.Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently protect the electrical wire.Also, the protector includes the lid, and the lid includes the grippingportion that sandwiches the pair of edge portions from the inner surfaceside and the outer surface side of the side wall. That is, the grippingportion grips portions near the pair of edge portions, which areportions on both sides of the slit in the side wall, and thus thegripping portion prevents the portions near the pair of edge portionsfrom deforming.

According to the eighth aspect, the protector includes a lid, and thelid includes the gripping portion that sandwiches the pair of edgeportions from the inner surface side and the outer surface side of theside wall. That is, the gripping portion grips portions near the pair ofedge portions, which are portions on both sides of the slit in the sidewall, and thus the gripping portion prevents the portions near the pairof edge portions from deforming.

According to the ninth aspect, a portion of the plate-shaped portion, onwhich the slide supporting portion is provided, protrudes more outwardcompared to portions of the plate-shaped portion other than the portionon which the slide supporting portion is provided. In this case, it ispossible to reduce the width of the portions other than the portion ofthe protector on which the slide supporting portion is provided, and itis possible to reduce the space required for the protector-equipped wireharness.

According to the tenth aspect, the protector includes a cover thatcovers the other end of the band. Therefore, it is possible to preventthe other end of the band from coming into contact with members aroundthe protector-equipped wire harness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an attachment member of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a protector of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the first embodiment and anelectrical wire.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the protector of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a portion of the protector of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the protector of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a portion of a protector of aprotector-equipped wire harness according to a first modification and anelectrical wire.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a portion of a protector of aprotector-equipped wire harness according to a second modification andan electrical wire.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to the second modification.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a portion of the protector of theprotector-equipped wire harness according to the second modification.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a portion of a protector of aprotector-equipped wire harness according to a third modification.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a protector according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an attachment member according to thesecond embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged view of the attachment member accordingto the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing that the attachment member is inthe process of being attached to the protector.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the presentdesign, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the presentinvention.

First Embodiment

First, a protector-equipped wire harness 100 according to a firstembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. Theprotector-equipped wire harness 100 includes an electrical wire 9, aprotector 2, and an attachment member 8. In this example, the protector2 includes a protector body 3 and a lid 4. Note that the protector body3 includes a bottom 31 and a pair of side walls 32 that protrude fromthe bottom 31, and the bottom 31 and the pair of side walls 32 form agroove 30 in which the electrical wire 9 can be disposed. One of thepair of side walls 32 is an example of a plate-shaped portion of theprotector 2. The lid 4 is a portion that covers the groove 30 from theside that is opposite to the bottom 31 with respect to the groove 30.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness 100.In FIG. 1, the electrical wire 9 is indicated by imaginary lines(two-dot chain lines). FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attachmentmember 8. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the protector 2, and isspecifically a plan view of the protector body 3 in which the electricalwire 9 is disposed. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the protector2, and is specifically a plan view of the protector body 3. FIG. 5 is aside view of a portion of the protector 2, and is specifically a sideview of the protector body 3. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of theprotector 2, and is specifically a plan view of the lid 4. Note thatFIG. 6 shows the back side of the lid 4 (the bottom 31 side when the lid4 is attached to the protector body 3). FIG. 7 is a partially enlargedview of the protector-equipped wire harness 100 in FIG. 1, and isspecifically a partially enlarge perspective view in which a portion ofthe protector 2 and a portion of the attachment member 8 in a statewhere the protector 2 and the attachment member 8 are fixed areenlarged. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the protector-equippedwire harness 100. Note that FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along aline VIII-VIII in FIG. 1.

First, the attachment member 8 will be described. In the presentembodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and so on, the attachment member 8includes: a band 81 that can be wound around the electrical wire 9; anda band lock portion 82 that includes slidable portions 88 that aresupported by a slide supporting portion 33 so as to be slidable in afirst direction X, and keeps the band 81 in a state of being woundaround the electrical wire 9. The attachment member 8 is a member thatis made of resin, for example.

In the attachment member 8, the band 81 is configured to be wound aroundone or more electrical wires 9. In this example, the electrical wire 9may be an insulated electrical wire that includes a core that is mainlymade of metal such as copper or aluminum, and an insulating coating thatcovers the core. If the electrical wire 9 is provided as a plurality ofelectrical wires 9, the band 81 is wound around the plurality ofelectrical wire 9 all at once.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 2, the band 81 has a narrow bandshape. Also, in this example, the band lock portion 82 is formedcontinuously with a proximal end 811 of the band 81. That is, in thepresent embodiment, the attachment member 8 includes the band 81 and theband lock portion 82 that are integrated into one piece. Note that, inanother mode, an attachment member may include a band and a band lockportion that are separate members.

The following describes the details of the band 81. In this example, asshown in FIG. 2, the band 81 includes a base end portion 812 that isformed at the proximal end 811 of the band 81, an elongated portion 813that is wound around the electrical wire 9, and lock recesses 814.

In this example, the base end portion 812 is provided at the proximalend 811 of the band 81, and is a relatively flexible portion that isdeformable from a coupling portion thereof that is coupled to the bandlock portion 82, to allow the band 81 to wrap around the electrical wire9. The base end portion 812 makes it easier to wind the band 81 aroundthe electrical wire 9.

Also, in this example, the elongated portion 813 has a flat shape. Theelongated portion 813 has a length with which the elongated portion 813can be wound around the electrical wire 9. A central area of theelongated portion 813 is recessed, and the lock recesses 814 areprovided in the recessed portion of the elongated portion 813.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of lock recesses 814 are formed on onemain surface of the elongated portion 813 of the band 81 so as bearranged one after another in the lengthwise direction of the band 81.Note that the aforementioned one main surface of the elongated portion813 of the band 81 is a main surface that faces toward the electricalwire 9 when the band 81 is wound around the electrical wire 9.

Next, the following describes the band lock portion 82. The band lockportion 82 is a portion that keeps the band 81 in a state of being woundaround the electrical wire 9. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and8, the band lock portion 82 is provided with a through hole 821 thatallows the band 81 to pass therethrough. The band lock portion 82includes: a lock claw 823 that is provided inside the through hole 821and includes lock protrusions 822 that can be locked to the lockrecesses 814 of the band 81; and the slidable portions 88.

The following describes the details of the band lock portion 82. Thethrough hole 821 is a hole that penetrates through the band lock portion82 from one surface thereof to the other surface on the opposite side.In this example, the band 81 is passed through the through hole 821 fromthe aforementioned one surface of the band lock portion 82 to theaforementioned other surface of the band lock portion 82.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the lock claw 823 is formed continuously witha hinge-side inner wall surface portion of the inner wall surface thatdefines the through hole 821, the hinge-side inner wall surface beinglocated on a continuous portion side, the continuous portion beingcontinuous with the base end portion 812 of the band 81. In thisexample, as shown in FIG. 8, the lock claw 823 is continuous with thehinge-side inner wall surface at a base-side portion, and is formed soas to protrude toward the aforementioned other surface of the band lockportion 82. In a natural state, a gap is formed between the lock claw823 and the hinge-side inner wall surface. That is, in a natural state,the leading end portion of the lock claw 823 is separated from thehinge-side inner wall surface, and is inclined toward the opposite innerwall surface that faces toward the hinge-side inner wall surface. Theleading end portion of the lock claw 823 is configured to elasticallydeform to narrow the gap between the leading end portion and thehinge-side inner wall surface.

The lock protrusions 822 formed on the lock claw 823 are portions thatcan be selectively locked to the plurality of lock recesses 814 of theband 81. In this example, as shown in FIG. 8, three lock protrusions 822are formed on the lock claw 823. However, as a matter of course, thenumber of lock protrusions 822 formed on the lock claw 823 may be one,two, four, or more.

In this example, the band 81 is wound around the electrical wire 9, andthe band 81 is inserted into the through hole 821 of the band lockportion 82 from an end of the band 81, the end being opposite to theproximal end 811. Then, the lock protrusions 822 of the band lockportion 82 are selectively locked to the plurality of lock recesses 814of the band 81, and thus the band 81 is kept in a state of being woundaround the electrical wire 9. Note that the lock recesses 814 of theband 81 and the lock protrusions 822 and the band lock portion 82 areselectively locked to each other according to the diameter of theelectrical wire 9.

In the present embodiment, the band 81 is kept in a state of being woundaround the electrical wire 9 such that the band 81 penetrates throughthe band lock portion 82 and a portion of the band 81 protrudes from theband lock portion 82. That is, the band 81 is kept in a state of beingwound around the electrical wire 9 such that a portion of the elongatedportion 813 of the band 81 protrudes from the through hole 821 towardthe other surface of the band lock portion 82. In the followingdescription, the portion of the elongated portion 813, which protrudesfrom the through hole 821, is referred to as a distal end portion of theband 81. The distal end portion includes a distal end 819, which isopposite to the proximal end 811 of the band 81. If the portion of theelongated portion 813 protruding from the through hole 821 is relativelylong, for example, the portion of the elongated portion 813 protrudingfrom the through hole 821 is to be partially removed. If this is thecase, a portion of the elongated portion 813 that protrudes from thethrough hole 821 after the removal has been performed is the distal endportion, and the end of the distal end portion after the removal hasbeen performed is the distal end 819. Since the attachment member 8includes a portion, of the band 81, that protrudes toward the bottom 31from the band lock portion 82 (a portion that includes the distal end819), the band 81 that is wound around the electrical wire 9 is lesslikely to come loose from the band lock portion 82.

Next, the following describes the slidable portions 88 of the band lockportion 82. The slidable portions 88 are portions that are supported bythe slide supporting portion 33 so as to be slidable in the firstdirection X. In this example, each slidable portion 88 includes a pairof slidable side walls 882 that define a recessed groove 881 that has arecessed shape. In the protector-equipped wire harness 100, the recessedgrooves 881 penetrate through the band lock portion 82 in the firstdirection X.

Also, in the present embodiment, a pair of slidable side walls 882 onboth sides of the recessed groove 881 in each slidable portion 88 areformed such that base end-side portions of the slidable side walls 882are thinner than leading end-side portions of the slidable side walls882. In this example, a portion of the inner surfaces of each pair ofslidable side walls 882 is recessed, and the width of a leading end-sideportion of each recessed groove 881 with respect to the leading ends ofthe slidable side walls 882 is smaller than the width of a base end-sideportion of the recessed groove 881 with respect to the base ends of theslidable side walls 882. In this case, leading end-side portions of theslidable side walls 882 can easily deform to increase the width of therecessed grooves 881.

Note that, in another example, a portion of the outer surfaces of eachpair of slidable side walls may be recessed such that base end-sideportions of the slidable side walls are thinner than lead end-sideportions of the slidable side walls. If this is the case, the width ofthe recessed grooves is constant from the leading end portions to thebase end portions of the slidable side walls, and leading end-sideportions of the slidable side walls can easily deform to increase thewidth of the recessed grooves.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the recessed grooves 881are each provided on either one side of the through hole 821. Therefore,in this example, the slidable portions 88 include two pairs of slidableside walls 882, each pair being provided on either one side of thethrough hole 821. The respective openings of the two recessed grooves881 provided on both sides of the through hole 821 face oppositedirections. This is because a pair of edge portions 35, which will bedescribed later, are to be passed through the two recessed grooves 881of the slidable portions 88. The details of the slidable portions 88will be described later.

Next, the following describes the protector 2. The protector 2 is amember that covers the electrical wire 9 to protect the electrical wire9. The protector 2 may be a member that is made of resin, for example.In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the protector 2 has a shape thatcan protect a straight section of the electrical wire 9. However, theprotector 2 may have a shape that can protect a curved section of theelectrical wire 9, or a shape that can protect both a curved section anda straight section of the electrical wire 9, for example.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 8, the protector2 includes: the bottom 31; a pair of side walls 32 that protrude fromthe bottom 31; the slide supporting portion 33 that is provided for atleast one of the pair of side walls 32 and is formed so as to extend inthe first direction X, which is a direction from the leading ends of theside walls 32 to the bottom 31; a receiver 34 that is provided on abottom 31-side portion of the slide supporting portion 33; and the lid4. In the present embodiment, the protector 2 further includes retainingprotrusions 36 and a cover 37.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the protector 2 includes theprotector body 3 and the lid 4. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, theprotector body 3 includes the bottom 31, the pair of side walls 32, theslide supporting portion 33, the receiver 34, the retaining protrusions36, and the cover 37. Also, in this example, the pair of side walls 32are provided with first fixing portions 321 for fixing the lid 4 to theprotector body 3.

First, the following describes the pair of side walls 32 of theprotector 2. The pair of side walls 32 are formed so as to protrude fromthe bottom 31 toward the electrical wire 9. At least one of the sidewalls 32 is provided with the slide supporting portion 33 and thereceiver 34. In this example, one of the side walls 32 is provided withthe slide supporting portion 33 and the receiver 34. In the followingdescription, the side wall 32 on which the slide supporting portion 33and the receiver 34 are formed is referred to as “the one side wall320”. Also, in the present embodiment, the side walls 32 are providedwith the first fixing portions 321 for fixing the lid 4, in addition tothe slide supporting portion 33 and the receiver 34. The one side wall320 is also provided with the retaining protrusions 36 and the cover 37.

Note that, in another example, as a matter of course, a slide supportingportion and a receiver may be provided on both of the pair of sidewalls. For example, if two or more attachment members are provided forone electrical wire, and the respective band lock portions of the twoattachment members are located at opposite positions with respect to theelectrical wire, the respective slidable portions of the two attachmentmembers may be supported by the slide supporting portions provided onboth of the pair of side walls.

Next, the following describes the slide supporting portion 33, thereceiver 34, the retaining protrusions 36, and the cover 37 that areformed on the one side wall 320.

The slide supporting portion 33 is formed so as to extend in the firstdirection X. In the present embodiment, a slit 39 that extends in thefirst direction X, which is a direction from the leading end of the oneside wall 320 to the bottom 31, is formed in the one side wall 320.Also, in this example, the slide supporting portion 33 includes at leastone of a pair of edge portions 35 that are located opposite to eachother with respect to the slit 39 that is formed in the one side wall320 so as to extend in the first direction X. In this example, the slidesupporting portion 33 includes both of the pair of edge portions 35.

Incidentally, in this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the receiver 34 andthe cover 37, which will be described later, are provided for a bottom31-side portion of the slit 39. Therefore, in this example, the slit 39is provided in the region from the leading end of the one side wall 320to a position immediately above the bottom 31. In other words, the slidesupporting portion 33 is formed so as to extend in the first direction Xin the region from the leading end of the one side wall 320 to aposition immediately above the bottom 31. Note that a band insertionthrough hole 371 that is surrounded by the cover 37 and penetratesthrough the bottom 31 in the first direction X as described later isprovided on a bottom 31-side extension of the slit 39.

The following describes a relationship between the slidable portions 88and the slide supporting portion 33. In the protector-equipped wireharness 100, each of the recessed grooves 881 of the slidable portions88 of the band lock portion 82 is recessed so as to allow one of thepair of edge portions 35 of the slide supporting portion 33 to passtherethrough. Therefore, for example, the width of the pair of slidableside walls 882 on both sides of each recessed groove 881 may be equal tothe thickness of one of the pair of edge portions 35 (the length in adirection in which the pair of side walls 32 face each other), or largerthan the thickness of one of the pair of edge portions 35. Note that, inthis example, a portion of the inner surfaces of each pair of slidableside walls 882 is recessed, and the width of each recessed groove 881 issmaller at a leading end-side position with respect to the leading endsof the slidable side walls 882 than at a base-end side position withrespect to the base ends of the slidable side walls 882. Therefore, inthis example, as shown in FIG. 3, the width of the pair of slidable sidewalls 882 at a leading end-side position with respect to the leadingends of the slidable side walls 882 is equal to the thickness of one ofthe pair of edge portions 35, and the width of the pair of slidable sidewalls 882 at a base end-side position with respect to the base ends ofthe slidable side walls 882 is larger than the thickness of one of thepair of edge portions 35.

Note that, in another example, the width between the pair of slidableside walls on two sides of each recessed groove may be smaller than thethickness of one of the pair of edge portions. If this is the case, oneof the pair of edge portions may be passed through a recessed groove andmoved to slide in the first direction X in a state where the recessedgroove has deformed to increase the width thereof, and thus the slidableportion may be supported by the slide supporting portion so as to beslidable.

In the present embodiment, the band lock portion 82 is moved to slide inthe slit 39 in the first direction X toward the bottom 31 in a statewhere the pair of edge portions 35 of the slide supporting portion 33are respectively passed through the two recessed grooves 881 of the bandlock portion 82, and thus the slidable portions 88 are supported by theslide supporting portion 33 so as to be slidable. Therefore, the slit 39may be a slit that has a certain width in the lengthwise direction ofthe protector 2 and that allows the band lock portion 82 to move in thefirst direction X. For example, the width of the slit 39 in thelengthwise direction of the protector 2 may be equal to the distancebetween the bottoms of the two recessed grooves 881 of the band lockportion 82, or larger than the distance between the bottoms of the tworecessed grooves 881 of the band lock portion 82. Note that theaforementioned lengthwise direction of the protector 2 coincides withthe lengthwise direction of the electrical wire 9 of theprotector-equipped wire harness 100.

Next, the following describes the receiver 34 and the cover 37. Thereceiver 34 is provided on a bottom 31-side portion of the slidesupporting portion 33. The receiver 34 is configured to be able to comeinto contact with at least a portion of the band lock portion 82including the slidable portions 88 that are supported by the slidesupporting portion 33 so as to be slidable. In the protector-equippedwire harness 100, the band lock portion 82 of the attachment member 8comes into contact with the receiver 34, and thus the protector 2 andthe attachment member 8 are fixed to each other. Note that the receiver34 in this example includes a portion of the cover 37.

In the present embodiment, the recessed grooves 881 of the slidableportions 88 are inserted between the pair of edge portions 35 of theslide supporting portion 33 in a state where the distal end 819 of theband 81 protrudes in the first direction X toward the bottom 31, and theband lock portion 82 is moved in a direction from the leading end of theone side wall 320 to the bottom 31. Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, thecover 37 is provided for a bottom-side portion of the slit 39.

The cover 37 is a portion that covers at least a portion around thedistal end 819 of the band 81 that protrudes toward the bottom 31 in thefirst direction X. That is, the cover 37 covers at least a portionaround the distal end 819 of the band 81 in a state where the distal end819 of the band 81 protrudes in the first direction X. In this example,as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the band insertion through hole 371 that issurrounded by the cover 37 and penetrates through the bottom 31 in thefirst direction Xis provided on a bottom 31-side extension of the slit39. The distal end 819 of the band 81 is inserted through the bandinsertion through hole 371.

In this example, the cover 37 includes a portion that covers the distalend 819 of the band 81 from the outside and a portion that covers thedistal end 819 of the band 81 from a lateral side. More specifically,the cover 37 includes a portion that is provided outside the one sidewall 320 and covers the distal end 819 of the band 81 from the outside,and a portion that protrudes outward from the outer surface of the oneside wall 320 and covers the distal end 819 of the band 81 from alateral side. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the distal end 819of the band 81 is prevented from coming into contact with members aroundthe protector 2.

Note that, in another example, the cover may include only a portion thatcovers the distal end of the band from the outside, or only a portionthat covers the distal end of the band from a lateral side.

In the present embodiment, a leading end-side portion of the cover 37with respect to the leading end of the one side wall 320 constitutes thereceiver 34. Therefore, a surface, which faces toward the bottom 31, ofthe band lock portion 82 that has moved in a direction from the leadingend of the one side wall 320 to the bottom 31 comes into contact with aleading end-side portion (i.e. the receiver 34) of the cover 37 withrespect to the leading end of the one side wall 320 and thus the bandlock portion 82 is restricted from moving in the first direction Xtoward the bottom 31.

Note that, in another example, the receiver may come into contact with asurface other than the bottommost surface of the band lock portion. Forexample, the receiver may come into contact with a protruding portionthat protrudes from a lateral side of the band lock portion, from thebottom side of the protector body, and thus the band lock portion may berestricted from moving in the first direction X toward the bottom.

Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a portion of theband 81, which includes the distal end 819 that protrudes from the bandlock portion 82 to the bottom 31 side, is passed through the bandinsertion through hole 371 in a state where the band lock portion 82 isrestricted by the receiver 34 from moving in the first direction X.Here, the distal end 819 of the band 81 does not protrude from the bandinsertion through hole 371 toward the bottom surface of the bottom 31.That is, the length of a portion of the band 81 in the first directionX, the portion protruding from the band lock portion 82, is smaller thanthe length of the cover 37 in the first direction X in a state where theband lock portion 82 is restricted by the receiver 34 from moving in thefirst direction X. In this case, for example, the portion of the band81, which protrudes from the band lock portion 82, may be cut off sothat the length of the portion of the band 81 in the first direction X,the portion protruding from the band lock portion 82, is smaller thanthe length of the cover 37 in the first direction X in a state where theband lock portion 82 is restricted by the receiver 34 from moving in thefirst direction X. In the above-described case, it is possible to morereliably cover the distal end 819 of the band 81, and restrict thedistal end 819 of the band 81 from protruding outward from the bottom31.

Next, the following describes the retaining protrusions 36. Theretaining protrusions 36 are portions that are locked to the band lockportion 82 from a side to prevent the slidable portions 88 from comingloose from the slide supporting portion 33 in a state where the bandlock portion 82 is in contact with the receiver 34. In this example, theretaining protrusions 36 are formed on the outer surface of the one sidewall 320. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, each retainingprotrusion 36 includes an inclined portion that is located on the outersurface side of the one side wall 320 and is inclined so that theoutward protruding length thereof gradually increases in a directiontoward the bottom 31, and a wall portion that is continuous with abottom 31-side portion of the inclined portion and includes awall-shaped portion that protrudes outward from the outer surface of theone side wall 320. Note that, in this example, the wall portionprotrudes so as to be orthogonal to the outer surface of the one sidewall 320.

In this example, if the band lock portion 82 is moved in a directionfrom the leading end of the one side wall 320 to the bottom 31 in astate where the edge portions 35 of the slide supporting portion 33 arepassed through the recessed grooves 881 of the slidable portions 88, therecessed grooves 881 will come into contact with the inclined portionsof the retaining protrusions 36. Then, if the band lock portion 82 isfurther moved toward the bottom 31, the band lock portion 82 elasticallydeforms along the slopes of the inclined portions to increase thedistance between each pair of slidable side walls 882. Note that, inthis example, each pair of slidable side walls 882 on both sides of eachrecessed groove 881 are formed such that base end-side portions of theslidable side walls 882 are thinner than leading end-side portions ofthe slidable side walls 882, and therefore the pairs of slidable sidewalls 882 can easily increase in width along the inclined portions ofthe retaining protrusions 36. Consequently, it is easier to perform anoperation to move the band lock portion 82 in the first direction Xtoward the bottom 31. Then, after the recessed grooves 881 have beenmoved past the inclined portions of the retaining protrusions 36, therecessed grooves 881 reach the wall portions, and consequently the pairof slidable side walls 882 return to their original shape. Thereafter,the band lock portion 82 is moved to the receiver 34, and thus the bandlock portion 82 is restricted from moving in the first direction Xtoward the bottom 31.

In this example, if the band lock portion 82 is moved in the firstdirection X toward the leading end of the one side wall 320 in a statewhere a bottom 31-side portion of the band lock portion 82 is in contactwith the receiver 34, a leading end-side portion of the band lockportion 82 with respect to the leading end of the one side wall 320comes into contact with the wall portions of the retaining protrusions36. Since the wall portions include wall-shaped portions that areorthogonal to the one side wall 320, the wall portions prevent therecessed grooves 881 of the band lock portion 82 from moving toward theleading ends of the one side wall 320 past the retaining protrusions 36.Consequently, it is possible to prevent the slidable portions 88 frommoving from a bottom 31-side position to a leading end-side position ofthe one side wall 320 and coming loose from the slide supporting portion33.

Note that, in this example, a gap is provided between each retainingprotrusion 36 and a leading end-side portion of the band lock portion 82with respect to the leading end of the one side wall 320, in order toprevent them from coming into contact with each other in a state where abottom 31-side portion of the band lock portion 82 is in contact withthe receiver 34. However, in another example, each retaining protrusionand a leading end-side portion of the band lock portion with respect tothe leading end of the one side wall may be in contact with each otherin a state where a bottom-side portion of the band lock portion is incontact with the receiver.

Also, in another example, the retaining protrusions may be formed on theinner surface of the one side wall. If this is the case, each retainingprotrusion may include an inclined portion that is located on the innersurface side of the one side wall and is inclined so that the inwardprotruding length thereof (protruding toward the electrical wiredisposed in the groove) gradually increases in a direction toward thebottom, and a wall portion that is continuous with a bottom-side portionof the inclined portion and includes a wall-shaped portion thatprotrudes inward from the inner surface of the one side wall.

Next, the following describes the first fixing portions 321. In thisexample, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the first fixing portions 321for fixing the lid 4 are provided on both of the pair of side walls 32.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each side wall 32 is provided with twofirst fixing portions 321. Note that the first fixing portions 321 onthe one side wall 320 are provided on portions on both sides of theportion of the one side wall 320 on which the slide supporting portion33 is provided.

Also, in this example, the protector body 3 is provided with four firstfixing portions 321 in total. Also, in another mode, one side wall maybe provided with one first fixing portion, or three or more first fixingportions.

In this example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, each first fixingportion 321 of the protector body 3 includes a pair of first portions328 that protrude outward from the outer surface of a side wall 32, anda second portion 329 that is a portion between the first portions 328and is opposite to the outer surface of the side wall 32 with respect toa gap therebetween. Also, lid fixing through holes 322, which are eachsurrounded by the side wall 32 and the first fixing portions 321 andpenetrate in the first direction X, are formed. Second fixing portions42 of the lid 4 are inserted into the lid fixing through holes 322. Thedetails will be described later.

Also, in the present embodiment, the portion of the one side wall 320,on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided, protrudes moreoutward compared to the portions on both sides of the portion of the oneside wall 320 on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided. Inthis example, in plan view of the protector body 3 as shown in FIGS. 3and 4, the one side wall 320 includes curved portions (curved portions325) so that the outward protruding length of the one side wall 320gradually increases, from the portions of the one side wall 320 on whichthe first fixing portions 321 are provided to the portion of the oneside wall 320 on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided, inthe lengthwise direction of the protector 2. Note that, in this example,the curved portions 325 are provided on both sides of the portion of theone side wall 320 on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the curved portions 325 are portionsthat are formed so as to curve such that the portion of the one sidewall 320 on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided isdisplaced outward of the portions of the one side wall 320 on which thefirst fixing portions 321 are provided, by a distance corresponding tothe thickness of the band lock portion 82. Note that the thickness ofthe band lock portion 82 is the thickness of the band lock portion 82 inthe direction in which each pair of slidable side walls 882 face eachother. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to prevent arelatively large space from being formed between the inner surface ofthe one side wall 320 and the electrical wire 9, at the positions of theportions of the one side wall 320 on which the first fixing portions 321are provided. Also, since the curved portions 325 are formed, it ispossible to increase the width of the groove 30 at the position of theportion of the one side wall 320 on which the slide supporting portion33 is provided, therefore it is possible to provide a space in which theband lock portion 82 can be moved in the first direction X.

Next, the following describes the bottom 31 of the protector body 3. Theelectrical wire 9 is disposed on the bottom 31. In this example, thebottom 31 has a flat shape.

Next, the following describes the lid 4 of the protector 2. In thisexample, the protector body 3 and the lid 4 are separate members. Theprotector 2 can be obtained by attaching the lid 4 to the protector body3. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the lid 4 of the protector 2 includes: aplate-shaped member 41 that is opposite to the bottom 31 of theprotector body 3; the second fixing portions 42 for fixing the lid 4 tothe protector body 3; a pair of rising portions 43 that protrude fromthe plate-shaped member 41 to the protector body 3 side; and a contactportion 44 that can come into contact with the band lock portion 82 ofthe attachment member 8. In the present embodiment, the lid 4 furtherincludes a gripping portion 45.

In the present embodiment, the plate-shaped member 41 is a portion thatis opposite to the bottom 31, and has a flat shape in this example. Inthis example, the plate-shaped member 41 has a shape that corresponds tothe bottom 31.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of rising portions 43 protrude fromthe side edges of the plate-shaped member 41 toward the bottom 31. Thesecond fixing portions 42 and the contact portion 44, which will bedescribed later, are formed continuously with the pair of risingportions 43.

The second fixing portions 42 are portions that protrude further towardthe bottom 31 from the pair of rising portions 43. The second fixingportions 42 are located at positions that correspond to the portions ofthe pair of side walls 32 on which the first fixing portions 321 areprovided.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, each second fixing portion 42includes a lid inclined portion that is inclined so that the outwardprotruding length thereof gradually increases in a direction from thebottom 31 to the plate-shaped member 41, and a lid wall portion that isa portion that is continuous with a plate-shaped member 41-side portionof the lid inclined portions and protrudes outward from a rising portion43 in a direction in which the pair of rising portions 43 face eachother. Note that, in this example, each lid wall portion protrudes in adirection that is orthogonal to the direction in which the risingportions 43 protrude.

In this example, the second fixing portions 42 are inserted into the lidfixing through holes 322 that are each surrounded by a side wall 32 anda first fixing portion 321 of the protector body 3. Then, the secondfixing portions 42 deform along the lid inclined portions, and the lidinclined portions pass through the lid fixing through holes 322.Thereafter, the second fixing portions 42 return to their originalshape, the lid wall portions of the second fixing portions 42 come intocontact with bottom 31-side portions of the second portions 329 of thefirst fixing portions 321, and the first fixing portions 321 and thesecond fixing portions 42 are locked to each other. Thus, the lid 4 iscombined with the protector body 3 into one piece.

Next, the following describes the contact portion 44 and the grippingportion 45. The gripping portion 45 is a portion that sandwiches thepair of edge portions 35 from the inner surface side and the outersurface side of the one side wall 320. The gripping portion 45 includeswall-shaped portions that can sandwich the pair of edge portions 35 fromthe inner surface side and the outer surface side in a state where theprotector body 3 and the lid 4 are fixed to each other. In this example,the gripping portion 45 includes: the contact portion 44 that protrudesfurther in a direction from a rising portion 43 to the bottom 31 from aportion of the lid 4, the portion corresponding to the pair of edgeportions 35 of the protector body 3, and is located on the outer surfaceside of the pair of edge portions 35; and a protruding portion 46 thatprotrudes from a portion of the lid 4, the portion corresponding to thepair of edge portions 35 of the protector body 3, in a direction fromthe plate-shaped member 41 to the bottom 31, and is located on the innersurface side of the pair of edge portions 35. In this example, thecontact portion 44 and the protruding portion 46 each have a wall shapethat enables the contact portion 44 and the protruding portion 46 tosandwich the pair of edge portions 35 from the inner surface side andthe outer surface side.

In the present embodiment, the contact portion 44 and the protrudingportion 46 sandwich the pair of edge portions 35 of the one side wall320 from the inner surface side and the outer surface side to preventthe pair of edge portions 35 from deforming. Here, for example, it ispreferable that the distance between the contact portion 44 and theprotruding portion 46 is equal to the thickness of each of the pair ofedge portions 35. This configuration makes it easier to sandwich thepair of edge portions 35 using the gripping portion 45, while preventingthe pair of edge portions 35 from deforming.

Note that, in another example, the distance between the contact portionand the protruding portion may be larger than the thickness of each ofthe pair of edge portions. If this is the case, it is preferable thatthe distance between the contact portion and the protruding portion isslightly larger than the thickness of each of the pair of edge portions.Note that, in yet another example, the distance between the contactportion and the protruding portion may be smaller than the thickness ofeach of the pair of edge portions. If this is the case, the contactportion and the protruding portion may be configured to be deformablesuch that the distance between the contact portion and the protrudingportion increases when they sandwich the pair of edge portions, and itis preferable that the distance is slightly smaller than the thicknessof each of the pair of edge portions.

Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, thecontact portion 44 is configured to be able to come into contact with aleading end-side portion of the band lock portion 82 with respect to theleading end of the one side wall 320. In this example, as shown in FIGS.7 and 8, the contact portion 44 has a protruding length that enables thecontact portion 44 to come into contact with a leading end side portionof the band lock portion 82 with respect to the leading end of the oneside wall 320 in a state where the protector body 3 and the lid 4 arefixed to each other and a bottom 31-side portion of the band lockportion 82 is in contact with the receiver 34. In this case, the bandlock portion 82 is fixed by being sandwiched between the receiver 34 andthe contact portion 44. Therefore, it is possible to more stably fix theband lock portion 82 and the protector body 3 to each other.

Next, the following describes an example of a method for obtaining theprotector-equipped wire harness 100 that is provided with the protector2 and the attachment member 8. In the present embodiment, first, theband 81 of the attachment member 8 is wound around the electrical wire9. Thereafter, the pair of edge portions 35 of the protector body 3 arepassed through the recessed grooves 881 of the band lock portion 82, andthus the slidable portions 88 of the band lock portion 82 are supportedby the slide supporting portion 33 so as to be slidable in the firstdirection X.

Thereafter, the band lock portion 82 is moved in the first direction Xtoward the bottom 31. Then, a bottom 31-side portion of the band lockportion 82 comes into contact with the receiver 34, and thus the bandlock portion 82 is restricted from moving in the first direction Xtoward the bottom 31. Here, in the present embodiment, due to theretaining protrusions 36 being provided, the band lock portion 82 in astate of being in contact with the receiver 34 is prevented from movingtoward the leading end of the one side wall 320 and coming loose fromthe slide supporting portion 33.

Then, in a state where the attachment member 8 is fixed to the protectorbody 3, the lid 4 is placed onto the one side wall 320 from the leadingend side of the one side wall 320, the first fixing portions 321 and thesecond fixing portions 42 are locked to each other, and thus theprotector body 3 and the lid 4 are combined into one piece. When theprotector body 3 and the lid 4 are combined into one piece, the contactportion 44 of the lid 4 comes into contact with a leading end-sideportion of the band lock portion 82 with respect to the leading end ofthe one side wall 320. Thus, the band lock portion 82 is sandwichedbetween the receiver 34 and the contact portion 44, and the band lockportion 82 is positioned.

Regarding the present embodiment, through the above-described work, itis possible to obtain the protector-equipped wire harness 100 accordingto the present embodiment, which is provided with the protector 2 andthe attachment member 8. The protector-equipped wire harness 100 can bemounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, for example.

Effects

In the present embodiment, regarding the slidable portions 88 of theattachment member 8, the slide supporting portion 33 formed on the oneside wall 320 of the protector 2 allows the slidable portions 88 of theattachment member 8 to slide in the first direction X so that the bandlock portion 82 comes into contact with the receiver 34, and thus theprotector 2 and the attachment member 8 are fixed to each other. In thiscase, there is no need to use a conventional clamp or the like to fixthe protector 2 and the attachment member 8 to each other. Therefore, itis possible to prevent a portion of the protector 2 to which theelectrical wire 9 is fixed from protruding outward from the outersurface of the protector 2 by a large length.

Also, in the present embodiment, the protector 2 is provided with theretaining protrusions 36. Therefore, it is possible to prevent theslidable portions 88 from moving from a bottom 31-side position to aleading end-side position of the one side wall 320 and coming loose fromthe slide supporting portion 33. Thus, it is possible to prevent theprotector 2 and the attachment member 8 from being released from a stateof being fixed to each other.

Also, in the present embodiment, a portion of the one side wall 320, onwhich the slide supporting portion 33 is provided, protrudes moreoutward compared to a portion other than the portion of the one sidewall 320 on which the slide supporting portion 33 is provided. In thiscase, it is possible to reduce the width of a portion other than theportion of the protector 2 on which the slide supporting portion 33 isprovided, and it is possible to reduce the space required for theprotector-equipped wire harness 100.

Also, the present embodiment includes the cover 37 that covers at leasta portion around the distal end 819 of the band 81. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent the distal end 819 of the band 81 from coming intocontact with members around the protector-equipped wire harness 100.Note that, in the present embodiment, the cover 37 covers the entirecircumference of the distal end 819 of the band 81. Therefore, it ispossible to more reliably prevent the distal end 819 of the band 81 fromcoming into contact with members around the protector-equipped wireharness 100.

Also, in the present embodiment, the slide supporting portion 33includes at least one of a pair of edge portions 35 that are locatedopposite to each other with respect to the slit 39 that extends in thefirst direction X, and each slidable portion 88 includes a recessedgroove 881 that is recessed so as to allow at least one of the pair ofedge portions 35 to pass therethrough. In this case, it is possible tofix the protector 2 and the attachment member 8 to each other using theslide supporting portion 33 and the slidable portions 88, which have asimple configuration including the slit 39 that is formed in the oneside wall 320 and the recessed grooves 881 that are recessed so as toallow at least one of the pair of edge portions 35 that are locatedopposite to each other with respect to the slit 39 to pass therethrough.

Also, in the present embodiment, each slidable portion 88 includes apair of slidable side walls 882 that define a recessed groove 881. Baseend-side portions of the slidable side walls 882 are thinner thanleading end-side portions of the slidable side walls 882. In this case,when the slide supporting portion 33 allows the slidable portions 88 tobe moved in the first direction X, the recessed grooves 881 are likelyto deform such that the width of leading end-side portions thereofincreases.

Also, in the present embodiment, the protector 2 includes the lid 4, andthe lid 4 includes the gripping portion 45 that sandwiches the pair ofedge portions 35 from the inner surface side and the outer surface sideof the one side wall 320. That is, the gripping portion 45 gripsportions near the pair of edge portions 35, which are portions on bothsides of the slit 39 in the one side wall 320, and thus the grippingportion 45 prevents the portions near the pair of edge portions 35 fromdeforming. Note that, in the present embodiment, the lid 4 is configuredto be able to sandwich the portions of the one side wall 320 on whichthe first fixing portions 321 are provided, from the inner surface sideand the outer surface side. In this case, it is possible to prevent theportions of the one side wall 320 on which the first fixing portions 321are provided from deforming.

Also, in the present embodiment, the lid 4 includes the contact portion44 that extends toward the bottom 31. In the protector-equipped wireharness 100, the band lock portion 82 is fixed by being sandwichedbetween the receiver 34 and the contact portion 44. In this case, it ispossible to more stably fix the protector 2 and the attachment member 8to each other.

First Modification

Next, a protector-equipped wire harness 100A according to a firstmodification will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Theprotector-equipped wire harness 100A includes a slidable portion 88A anda slide supporting portion 33A that have configurations different fromthose of the slidable portions 88 and the slide supporting portion 33according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a portion of theprotector 2, and is specifically a plan view of a protector body 3A inwhich the electrical wire 9 is disposed. Note that the lid 4 is omittedfrom FIG. 9. Also, in FIG. 9, constituent elements that are the same asthose shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are assigned the same reference numerals.The following describes features of the present modification that aredifferent from those of the embodiment.

Components of the protector 2 other than the slide supporting portion33A of the protector body 3A, and the lid 4, are the same as those inthe embodiment, and therefore descriptions thereof are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this modification, the one side wall 320 is notprovided with the slit 39 according to the embodiment. In this example,the slide supporting portion 33A includes a slide protrusion 331 that isprovided on the inner surface side of the one side wall 320 andprotrudes from the inner surface of the one side wall 320. The slideprotrusion 331 is formed so as to extend in a direction from the leadingend of the one side wall 320 to the bottom 31, i.e., in the firstdirection X.

Also, in the present modification, the slidable portion 88A of a bandlock portion 82A includes a recessed groove 881A that is recessed so asto allow the slide protrusion 331 to pass therethrough. In this example,the recessed groove 881A is configured to allow sliding in the firstdirection X in a state of being fitted to the slide protrusion 331. Notethat, in an attachment member 8A, components other than the slidableportion 88A are the same as those in the embodiment, and thereforedescriptions thereof are omitted.

The following describes the details of the slide protrusion 331 and therecessed groove 881A. In this example, as shown in FIG. 9, the slideprotrusion 331 is configured such that the width of a leading end-sideportion thereof in the lengthwise direction of the protector 2 is longerthan the width of a base end-side portion thereof, which is continuouswith the inner surface of the one side wall 320, in the lengthwisedirection of the protector 2. In this example, the slide protrusion 331is configured such that the width thereof in the lengthwise direction ofthe protector 2 gradually increases in a direction from the base end tothe leading end.

Also, in this example, the recessed groove 881A is a recessed groovethat has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the contour of theslide protrusion 331 in plan view of the protector body 3A (i.e. whenseen in the first direction X). That is, as shown in FIG. 9, therecessed groove 881A is configured such that the distance between a pairof slidable side walls 882A on both sides of the recessed groove 881Agradually increases in a direction from the opening to the bottom of therecessed groove 881A.

In the present modification, the band lock portion 82A is brought closerto the protector body 3A from the leading end side of the one side wall320. Then, the recessed groove 881A of the slidable portion 88A of theband lock portion 82A and the slide protrusion 331 of the slidesupporting portion 33A of the protector body 3A are aligned in the firstdirection X. Then, for example, the band lock portion 82A in this stateis moved in the first direction X toward the bottom 31. Consequently,the slide protrusion 331 and the recessed groove 881A are fitted to eachother. Then, the band lock portion 82A comes into contact with thereceiver 34 that is provided on a bottom 31-side portion of the slideprotrusion 331, and thus the attachment member 8A and the protector body3A are fixed to each other.

With the above-described configuration, also in the presentmodification, regarding the slidable portion 88A of the attachmentmember 8A, the slide supporting portion 33A formed on the one side wall320 of the protector 2 allows the slidable portion 88A of the attachmentmember 8A to slide in the first direction X so that the band lockportion 82A comes into contact with the receiver 34, and thus theprotector 2 and the attachment member 8A are fixed to each other. Inthis case, there is no need to use a conventional clamp or the like tofix the protector 2 and the attachment member 8A to each other.Therefore, it is possible to prevent a portion of the protector 2 towhich the electrical wire 9 is fixed from protruding outward from theouter surface of the protector 2 by a large length.

Also, in the present modification, the slide protrusion 331 isconfigured such that the width thereof in the lengthwise direction ofthe protector 2 gradually increases in a direction from the base end tothe leading end, and the recessed groove 881A has a shape thatcorresponds to the shape of the contour of the slide protrusion 331 whenseen in the first direction X. In this case, once the slide protrusion331 and the recessed groove 881A are fitted to each other, when anattempt is made to move the band lock portion 82A relative to theprotector body 3A in a direction in which the pair of side walls 32 faceeach other, the slide protrusion 331 and the recessed groove 881A areprevented from being released from the state of being fitted to eachother. That is, it is possible to more stably fix the attachment member8A and the protector 2 to each other.

Second Modification

Next, a protector-equipped wire harness 100B according to a secondmodification will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. Theprotector-equipped wire harness 100B includes a protector 2B that has aconfiguration that is different from that of the protector 2 accordingto the embodiment. The protector 2B includes a protector body 3B and alid 4B. FIG. 10 is a side view of a portion of the protector 2B and theelectrical wire 9. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of theprotector-equipped wire harness 100B. FIG. 12 is a plan view of aportion of the protector 2B, and is specifically a plan view of the lid4B. Note that FIG. 12 shows the back side of the lid 4B (the bottom 31side when the lid 4B is attached to the protector body 3B). Note that,in FIGS. 10 to 12, constituent elements that are the same as those shownin FIGS. 1 to 9 are assigned the same reference numerals. The followingdescribes features of the present modification that are different fromthose of the embodiment.

The protector-equipped wire harness 100B according to this modificationis different from the embodiment in that the distal end 819 of the band81 protrudes in the first direction X toward the lid 4B. In the presentmodification, the protector 2B includes a cover 37B that covers at leasta portion around the distal end 819 of the band 81 in a state where thedistal end 819 of the band 81 protrudes in the first direction X towardthe lid 4B. More specifically, the lid 4B of the protector 2B is thecover 37B.

First, the following describes the lid 4B of the protector 2B. The lid4B includes the plate-shaped member 41, the second fixing portions 42,the pair of rising portions 43, the contact portion 44 that can comeinto contact with the band lock portion 82 of the attachment member 8,and the cover 37B. The plate-shaped member 41, the second fixingportions 42, and the pair of rising portions 43 are the same as those inthe embodiment, and therefore descriptions thereof are omitted.

In the present modification, the cover 37B is provided in the lid 4B ata position that corresponds to the slide supporting portion 33. In thisexample, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cover 37B includes a recesseddepression 379 in which a portion of the band 81 (a portion includingthe distal end 819 of the band 81), the portion protruding from the bandlock portion 82 in the first direction X toward the lid 4B, can behoused. In this example, the distal end 819 of the band 81 is housed inthe depression 379, and thus the cover 37B covers the entirecircumference of the distal end 819 of the band 81. That is, the cover37B includes an outer portion that covers the distal end 819 of the band81 from the outside and an inner portion that covers the same from theinside. Note that, in this example, the cover 37B further includeslateral side portions that cover the distal end of the band 81 from bothsides. The lateral side portions are portions that connect the outerportion and the inner portion to each other. Also in this case, thedistal end 819 of the band 81 is prevented from coming into contact withmembers around the protector 2B, and from coming into contact with theelectrical wire 9 in the protector 2B.

The following describes the protector body 3B. The protector body 3B isformed by omitting the cover 37 from the protector body 3 according tothe embodiment. Also, the protector body 3B is provided with a receiver34B that is different from the embodiment.

The receiver 34B includes a wall-shaped portion that is located on theouter surface side of the one side wall 320 and faces the one side wall320. In this example, as shown in FIG. 10, the receiver 34B covers aportion of the slit 39 from the outside in the first direction X. Also,the receiver 34B is formed so as to span a range from one of the pair ofedge portions 35 to the other.

In this example, a leading end-side portion of the receiver 34B withrespect to the leading end of the one side wall 320 and a bottom 31-sideportion of the band lock portion 82 come into contact with each other,and thus the band lock portion 82 is prevented from moving toward thebottom 31 in the first direction X. Note that, in this example, as shownin FIGS. 10 and 11, a bottom 31-side portion of the cover 37B comes intocontact with a lid 4B-side portion of the band lock portion 82 in astate where the band lock portion 82 is in contact with the receiver34B. That is, in the present modification, the contact portion 44 of thelid 4B is a bottom 31-side portion of the cover 37B.

More specifically, in the present modification, the distance from theleading end-side portion of the receiver 34B with respect to the leadingend of the one side wall 320 to the leading end of the one side wall 320is equal to the length of the band lock portion 82 in the direction inwhich the through hole 821 penetrates (the length of the band lockportion 82 in the first direction X). In this case, the leading endsurface of the one side wall 320 and the lid 4B-side surface of the bandlock portion 82 are at the same level in the first direction X in astate where a bottom 31-side portion of the band lock portion 82 is incontact with the receiver 34B. Also, the cover 37B includes thedepression 379 that has a depth that is the same as the protrudinglength of the portion of the band 81 protruding from the band lockportion 82, and thus a bottom 31-side portion of the cover 37B can comeinto contact with a lid 4B-side portion of the band lock portion 82.Consequently, the band lock portion 82 is sandwiched between thereceiver 34B of the protector body 3B and the contact portion 44 of thelid 4B. Thus, it is possible to more stably fix the band lock portion 82to the protector 2B.

Also, in another example, the distance from the leading end-side portionof the receiver with respect to the leading end of the one side wall tothe leading end of the one side wall may be larger than the length ofthe band lock portion in the direction in which the through holepenetrates (the length of the band lock portion in the first direction).If this is the case, a portion of the inner portion, the outer portion,or the lateral side portions of the cover may be configured to protrudefrom the bottom side of the protector main body.

Also in the present modification, regarding the slidable portions 88 ofthe attachment member 8, the slide supporting portion 33 formed on theone side wall 320 of the protector 2B allows the slidable portions 88 ofthe attachment member 8 to slide in the first direction X so that theband lock portion 82 comes into contact with the receiver 34B, and thusthe protector 2B and the attachment member 8 are fixed to each other. Inthis case, there is no need to use a conventional clamp or the like tofix the protector 2B and the attachment member 8 to each other.Therefore, it is possible to prevent a portion of the protector 2B towhich the electrical wire 9 is fixed from protruding outward from theouter surface of the protector 2B by a large length.

Also, in the present modification, the distal end 819 of the band 81 iscovered by the cover 37B of the lid 4B. Therefore, it is possible toprevent members around the protector-equipped wire harness 100B and thedistal end 819 of the band 81 from coming into contact with each other.

Third Modification

Next, a lid 4C that is included in a protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to a third modification will be described with reference toFIG. 13. A protector-equipped wire harness according to the thirdmodification includes a protector body that has the same configurationas in the embodiment, and the lid 4C that has a configuration that isdifferent from the configuration in the embodiment. The followingdescribes the lid 4C.

In the present modification, the lid 4C includes a contact portion 44Cthat has a configuration that is different from the configuration of thecontact portion 44, when compared with the lid 4 in the embodiment. FIG.13 is a plan view of the lid 4C. Note that FIG. 13 shows the back sideof the lid 4C (the bottom side when the lid 4C is attached to theprotector body). In FIG. 13, constituent elements that are the same asthose shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 are assigned the same reference numerals.

In the present modification, a contact portion 44C of the lid 4Cincludes a pair of groove-shaped portions 441 that are recessed so as toallow the pair of edge portions 35 to pass therethrough in the firstdirection X. The pair of groove-shaped portions 441 are provided in thelid 4C at positions that correspond to the slide supporting portion 33of the protector body 3. More specifically, the pair of groove-shapedportions 441 are located so as to allow the pair of edge portions 35 topass through the pair of groove-shaped portions 441 in the lid 4C. Forexample, the contact portion 44C may have the same shape as the contourof the band lock portion 82.

Also, in this example, the contact portion 44C includes a recessedportion 442 that is recessed, on the back side of the lid 4C. Therecessed portion 442 is a depression in which a portion of the band 81,the portion extending from the band lock portion 82 toward the leadingend of the one side wall 320, can be housed. In this example, therecessed portion 442 may have a recessed surface that is curved alongthe outer circumferential surface of the band 81 wound around theelectrical wire 9.

Also in the present modification, it is possible to prevent a portion ofthe protector to which the electrical wire 9 is fixed from protrudingoutward from the outer surface of the protector by a large length. Also,in the present modification, the contact portion 44C includes thegroove-shaped portions 441 that have the same shape as the recessedgrooves 881 of the band lock portion 82. In the case, it is possible toincrease a contact area between the contact portion 44C and the leadingend-side portion of the band lock portion 82 with respect to the leadingend of the one side wall 320, and it is possible to more effectivelyprevent the band lock portion 82 from moving toward the leading end ofthe one side wall 320.

Second Embodiment

The following describes a protector-equipped wire harness 900 accordingto a second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of theprotector-equipped wire harness 900, FIG. 15 is a perspective view of aprotector 910, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an attachment member950, FIG. 17 is an enlarge view corresponding to FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 isa perspective view showing that the attachment member 950 is in theprocess of being attached to the protector 910.

The protector-equipped wire harness 900 includes an electrical wire 902,the protector 910, and the attachment member 950.

The electrical wire 902 is a member similar to the electrical wire 9described in the first embodiment above. Also in this example, theelectrical wire 902 is provided as a plurality of electrical wires 902that are tied together.

The attachment member 950 includes a band 952 that can be wound aroundthe electrical wire 902; and a band lock portion 954 that keeps the band952 in a state of being wound around the electrical wire 902. Theattachment member 950 is a member that is made of resin, for example.

The configuration of the band 952 is the same as the configuration ofthe above-described band 81.

The band lock portion 954 is provided with a through hole 955 thatallows the band 952 to pass therethrough. A lock claw 956 that can belocked to a lock recess of the band 952 is formed in the through hole955 of the band lock portion 954. The configuration for keeping a statewhere the band lock portion 954 is locked to the band 952 and the band952 is wound around the electrical wire 902 is the same as theconfiguration described in the first embodiment above. In this example,the band 952 is wound around the electrical wire 902, and the band 952is inserted into the through hole 955 of the band lock portion 954 froman end of the band 952, the end being opposite to the proximal end.Then, the lock claw 956 of the band lock portion 954 is selectivelylocked to the plurality of lock recesses of the band 952, and thus theband 952 is kept in a state of being wound around the electrical wire902.

Also, as in the first embodiment above, the band 952 is kept in a stateof being wound around the electrical wire 902 such that the band 952penetrates through the band lock portion 954 and a portion of the band952 protrudes from the band lock portion 954. That is, the band 952 iskept in a state of being wound around the electrical wire 902 such thata portion of the band 952 protrudes from the through hole 955 toward theother surface of the band lock portion 954. If the portion of the band952 protruding from the through hole 955 is relatively long, forexample, the portion of the band 952 protruding from the through hole955 is to be partially removed. In this way, the band 952 is configuredsuch that a portion thereof protrudes from the through hole 955, andthus the band 952 wound around the electrical wire 902 is less likely tocome loose from the band lock portion 954.

Also, the band lock portion 954 includes slidable portions 957 that aresupported by a slide supporting portion 925 of the protector 910, whichwill be described later, so as to be slidable in the first direction X.In this example, each slidable portion 957 includes a pair of slidableside walls 959 that defines a recessed groove 958 that has a recessedshape. In the protector-equipped wire harness 900, the recessed grooves958 penetrate through the band lock portion 954 in the first directionX.

In the present embodiment, unlike in the above-described firstembodiment, one of the pair of slidable side walls 959 on both sides ofa recessed groove 958 has a plate-like shape that has a constantthickness, and the other is formed such that a base end-side portionthereof is thicker than a leading end-side portion thereof. As a matterof course, as in the above-described first embodiment, at least one ofthe pair of slidable side walls on both sides of a recessed groove maybe formed such that a base end-side portion thereof is thinner than aleading end-side portion thereof.

The recessed grooves 958 are each provided on either one side of thethrough hole 955. Therefore, in this example, the slidable portions 957include two pairs of slidable side walls 959, each pair being providedon either one side of the through hole 955. The respective openings ofthe two recessed grooves 958 provided on both sides of the through hole955 face opposite directions. This is because a pair of edge portions924 a, which will be described later, are to be passed through the tworecessed grooves 958 of the slidable portion 957.

Also, the band lock portion 954 is provided with a lock protrusion 954Pthat is locked to a coupling portion 928, which will be described later,from a side to prevent the slidable portions 957 from coming loose fromthe slide supporting portion 925 in a state where the band lock portion954 is in contact with a receiver 926, which will be described later.

More specifically, the lock protrusion 954P is provided on a surface ofthe band lock portion 954, the surface being opposite to the surface onthe side of which the electrical wire 902 is disposed. The lockprotrusion 954P is formed such that the height thereof graduallydecreases in a direction in which the slidable portions 957 is inserted(the first direction X). When the slidable portions 957 of the band lockportion 954 are moved to slide in the first direction X relative to theslide supporting portion 925, a guide inclined surface 954Pa of the lockprotrusion 954P comes into contact with the coupling portion 928, whichwill be described later, so as to elastically deform the couplingportion 928 outward. When the slidable portions 957 of the band lockportion 954 is moved to slide in the first direction X relative to theslide supporting portion 925 and the lock protrusion 954P moves past thecoupling portion 928, the band lock portion 954 comes into contact withthe receiver 926, and an abutting surface 954Pb of the lock protrusion954P, the abutting surface 954Pb being opposite to a surface that islocated in the first direction X, and being orthogonal to the firstdirection X, abuts against the coupling portion 928.

The protector 910 is a member that covers at least a portion of theouter circumferential surface of the electrical wire 902 to protect theelectrical wire 902. The protector 910 is a member that is made ofresin, for example. In this example, the protector 910 has a shape thatcan protect a straight section of the electrical wire 902. However, theprotector 910 may have a shape that can protect a curved section of theelectrical wire 902, or a shape that can protect both the curved sectionand the straight section of the electrical wire 902, for example.

In the present embodiment, the protector 910 includes a protector body912 and an extension fixing portion 920.

The protector body 912 includes a bottom 913 and a pair of side walls914 that protrude from the bottom 913.

The extension fixing portion 920 is formed so as to extend outward fromone end portion of the protector body 912, and includes a bottomextension portion 922 and a side wall extension portion 924 thatprotrudes from one side portion of the bottom extension portion 922. Thebottom extension portion 922 is a portion that extends from one endportion of the above-described bottom 913, and the side wall extensionportion 924 is a portion that extends from one end portion of one of thepair of side walls 914. Therefore, when the protector 910 is taken as awhole, the bottom extension portion 922 can be seen as a portion of thebottom of the protector 910, and the side wall extension portion 924 canbe seen as a portion of one of the pair of side walls of the protector910. Note that a portion of the side wall extension portion 924, onwhich the slide supporting portion 925 is provided, protrudes furtheroutward than one of the side walls 914, with an inclined side wall 924 bbeing interposed therebetween.

The protector 910 also includes a lid 930. Second fixing portions 932,which have the same configurations as the above-described second fixingportions 42, are provided on both sides of the lid 930 so as toprotrude, and first fixing portions 914 a, which have the sameconfiguration as the above-described first fixing portions 321, areprovided on the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls 914. The secondfixing portions 932 are inserted into and fixed to the first fixingportions 914 a when the lid 930 is in a closed state, and thus the lid930 is kept in the closed state. The lid 930 may be omitted.

It is not essential that the protector 910 has the above-describedshape. For example, the protector 910 may have a flat plate shapeoverall, or a shape in which a side wall stands upright on only one sideportion of the bottom. If the protector includes a plate-shaped portion,the slide supporting portion may be formed on the plate-shaped portion.

The above-described side wall extension portion 924 is a plate-shapedportion, and the slide supporting portion 925 is formed so as to extendinward (toward the bottom extension portion 922) in the first directionX from one edge portion of the side wall extension portion 924 (the edgeportion that is opposite to the edge portion that is continuous with thebottom extension portion 922). Also, the receiver 926 is formed on thefar side in the first direction X (the bottom extension portion 922side) relative to the slide supporting portion 925. In the presentembodiment, the protector 910 further includes the coupling portion 928and a cover 929. The slide supporting portion may be provided on eitherone or both of the pair of side walls 914 of the protector body 912.

More specifically, the side wall extension portion 924 is provided witha slit 924S that extends in the first direction X from an edge portionof the side wall extension portion 924. The slit 924S is provided in therange from an edge portion of the side wall extension portion 924 to aposition immediately above the bottom extension portion 922. The slidesupporting portion 925 includes at least one of the pair of edgeportions 924 a that are located opposite to each other with respect tothe slit 924S formed in the side wall extension portion 924. In thisexample, the slide supporting portion 925 includes both of the pair ofedge portions 924 a.

The following describes a relationship between the slidable portions 957and the slide supporting portion 925. Each of the recessed grooves 958of the slidable portions 957 of the band lock portion 954 is recessed soas to allow one of the pair of edge portions 924 a of the slidesupporting portion 925 to pass therethrough. For example, the distancebetween the pair of slidable side walls 959 on both sides of eachrecessed groove 958 may be set to a value that is equal to, or larger(slightly larger) than the thickness of the edge portions 924 a. Notethat grooves that extend in the first direction X may be formed on bothsides of the slit, and both edge portions of the band lock portion maybe inserted into the grooves so as to be slidable. Such a configurationis also applicable to the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the band lock portion 954 is moved to slidealong the slit 924S in the first direction X toward the bottom extensionportion 922 in a state where the pair of edge portions 924 a of theslide supporting portion 925 are respectively passed through the tworecessed grooves 958 of the band lock portion 954, and thus the slidableportions 957 are supported by the slide supporting portion 925 so as tobe slidable.

The receiver 926 is provided on the bottom extension portion 922 siderelative to the slide supporting portion 925. In this example, thereceiver 926 is provided on the cover 929. The receiver 926 isconfigured to be able to come into contact with the band lock portion954 including the slidable portions 957 that are supported by the slidesupporting portion 925 so as to be slidable. In the protector-equippedwire harness 900, the protector 910 and the attachment member 950 arefixed to each other in a state where the band lock portion 954 of theattachment member 950 is in contact with the receiver 926.

Also, in this example, the cover 929 is provided for a bottom sideportion of the slit 924S.

The cover 929 is a portion that covers at least a portion around an endportion of the band 952 that protrudes toward the bottom extensionportion 922 in the first direction X. That is, the cover 929 covers atleast a portion of an end portion of the band 952 in a state where theend portion of the band 952 protrudes in the first direction X relativeto the band lock portion 954. In this example, a band insertion throughhole 929 h that is surrounded by the cover 929 and penetrates throughthe bottom extension portion 922 in the first direction X is provided ona bottom extension portion 922-side extension of the slit 924S.

In this example, as with the cover 37 in the first embodiment, the cover929 includes a portion that covers an end portion of the band 952 fromthe outside and a portion that covers the end portion of the band 952from both lateral sides. In the present embodiment, a portion of thecover 929, the portion being located on the opposite side in thedirection in which the slidable portions 957 are moved to be slide andinserted, constitutes the receiver 926. Therefore, in this example, asurface of the band lock portion 954 that is moved in a direction froman edge portion of the side wall extension portion 924 toward the bottomextension portion 922, the surface facing the bottom extension portion922, comes into contact with the receiver 926 of the cover 929, and thusthe band lock portion 954 is restricted from moving toward the bottomextension portion 922 in the first direction X. Then, in such a state, aportion of the band 952, which protrudes from the band lock portion 954,is surrounded by the cover 929. Thus, the end portion of the band 952 isprevented from coming into contact with members around the protector910.

Note that, in another example, the cover may include only a portion thatcovers an end portion of the band from the outside, or only a portionthat covers the end portion of the band from a lateral side.

Also, the coupling portion 928 is provided so as to couple the pair ofedge portions 924 a, which are located opposite to each other withrespect to the above-described slit 924S, to each other. The couplingportion 928 couples the pair of edge portions 924 a to each other at aposition that is away from the trajectories of the slidable portions 957sliding on the slide supporting portion 925, specifically at a positionthat is away from the trajectory of the band lock portion 954 thatincludes the slidable portions 957 in this example. More specifically,the coupling portion 928 includes a pair of side protrusions 928 a thatprotrude from the pair of edge portions 924 a to the outside of the sidewall extension portion 924, and an intermediate coupling portion 928 bthat couples the pair of side protrusions 928 a at a position that is ata distance from the outer surface of the side wall extension portion924. The recessed grooves 958 of the slidable portions 957 on both sidesof the band lock portion 954 move along the edge portions 924 a, insidethe pair of side protrusions 928 a, and the entire band lock portion 954moves in the first direction X, inside the intermediate coupling portion928 b.

The coupling portion 928 is located closer to the opening of the slit924S than to the bottom of the slit 924S, and prevents the slit 924Sfrom opening.

In a state where the band lock portion 954 is in contact with thereceiver 926, the coupling portion 928 is located at a position that isoutside the band lock portion 954 and is on the opposite side relativeto the lock protrusion 954P in the direction in which the band lockportion 954 is inserted. In a state where the band lock portion 954 isin contact with the receiver 926, the abutting surface 954Pb of the lockprotrusion 954P of the band lock portion 954 is locked to and retainsthe coupling portion 928.

Note that the same retaining protrusions 36 as in the above-describedfirst embodiment may be provided in the present embodiment.

The above-described protector-equipped wire harness 900 can be obtainedthrough procedures that are the same as those described in the firstembodiment above.

That is, first, the band 952 of the attachment member 950 is woundaround the electrical wire 902, and a leading end portion of the band952 is passed through the through hole 955 of the band lock portion 954.Thus, the band 952 is kept in the state of being wound. When performingan operation to wind the attachment member 950 around the electricalwire 902, it is possible to use a common jig board for a wire harnessinstead of a jig board for a protector. Therefore, it is possible toperform, for example, an operation to remount the wire harness on a jigboard for a protector. Thereafter, the pair of edge portions 924 a ofthe slide supporting portion 925 are passed through the recessed grooves958 of the band lock portion 954 on both sides, and thus the slidableportions 957 of the band lock portion 954 are supported so as to beslidable in the first direction X.

Then, the band lock portion 954 is moved to slide in the first directionX toward the bottom extension portion 922 so that the band lock portion954 comes into contact with the receiver 926. While being moved, theguide inclined surface 954Pa of the lock protrusion 954P comes intocontact with the coupling portion 928, and elastically deforms thecoupling portion 928 outward. Upon the lock protrusion 954P being movedpast the coupling portion 928, the coupling portion 928 elasticallyreturns to its original shape, and the lock protrusion 954P is locked toand retains the coupling portion 928. In this state, in the firstdirection X, the band lock portion 954 on the bottom extension portion922 side comes into contact with the receiver 926 and is restricted frommoving in this direction, and the lock protrusion 954P on the oppositeside comes into contact with the coupling portion 928 and is restrictedfrom moving in this direction. Thus, the band lock portion 954 is fixedto the slide supporting portion 925.

In this state, the electrical wire 902 is housed in the protector body912, the lid 930 is closed, and the first fixing portions 914 a and thesecond fixing portions 932 are fixed to each other.

Effects

According to the present embodiment, slidable portions 957 of theattachment member 950 are moved relative to the slide supporting portion925 to slide in the first direction so that the band lock portion 954comes into contact with the receiver 926, and the protector 910 and theattachment member 950 are fixed to each other in such a state. In thiscase, there is no need to use a conventional clamp. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent a portion of the protector to which the electricalwire is fixed from protruding outward from the outer surface of theprotector by a large length.

Also, the present embodiment includes the cover 929 that covers at leasta portion around end portion of the band lock portion 954. Therefore, itis possible to prevent the end portion of the band 952 from coming intocontact with members around the protector-equipped wire harness 900.

Also, in the present embodiment, a portion of the side wall extensionportion 924, on which the slide supporting portion 925 is provided,protrudes further outward than one of the side walls 914, with aninclined side wall 924 b being interposed therebetween. In this case, itis possible to reduce the width of the portions other than the portionof the protector 910 on which the slide supporting portion 925 isprovided, and it is possible to reduce the space required for theprotector-equipped wire harness 900.

Also, in the present embodiment, the slide supporting portion 925includes at least one of the pair of edge portions 924 a that arelocated opposite to each other with respect to the slit 924S thatextends in the first direction X, and the slidable portions 957 includethe recessed grooves 958 that are recessed so as to allow at least oneof the pair of edge portions 924 a to pass therethrough. With thisconfiguration, it is possible to fix the protector 910 and theattachment member 950 to each other using the slide supporting portion925 and the slidable portions 957, which have a simple configuration.

Also, in the present embodiment, the pair of edge portions 924 a on bothsides of the slit 924S are coupled to each other by the coupling portion928. Therefore, the pair of edge portions 924 a are less likely to moveaway from each other, and the edge portions 924 a are less likely to bereleased from the configuration in which the edge portions 924 a arefitted to the recessed grooves 958. Thus, it is possible to more firmlyfix the attachment member 950 to the protector 910.

In addition, the lock protrusion 954P is locked to and retains thecoupling portion 928 in a state where the band lock portion 954 is incontact with the receiver 926. Therefore, it is possible to morereliably prevent the attachment member 950 from coming loose from theprotector 910 in the first direction X. In particular, due to theconfiguration in which the slit 924S is prevented by the couplingportion 928 from opening out, and the lock protrusion 954P is locked toand retains the coupling portion 928, it is possible to more firmly fixthe attachment member and the protector, and it is possible to employ,for example, a configuration in which the attachment member is pressedand held by the lid of the protector. Therefore, the present embodimentis suitable for a protector that does not have a lid.

Modifications

In each embodiment, the lid may be coupled to the protector body so asto be able to open and close, using a hinge.

Also, in each embodiment, the slide supporting portion may include onlyone of the pair of edge portions that are located opposite to each otherwith respect to the slit.

In each embodiment, the cover may include, instead of the band insertionthrough hole, a recess that does not penetrate in the first directionand in which the distal end of the band can be housed.

In the first modification, the configuration of the slidable portion andthe configuration of the slide supporting portion may be interchanged.For example, the slidable portion may have a protruding portion, and theslide supporting portion may have a recessed groove that allows theprotruding slidable portion to pass therethrough.

Also, in the second embodiment, the contact portion and the grippingportion described in the first embodiment may be provided.

Note that the configurations described in the embodiments andmodifications above may be combined with each other as appropriate,unless they contradict each other.

Although the present design has been described above in detail, thedescriptions above are examples in all aspects, and the presentinvention is not limited to the descriptions. It is understood thatinnumerable modifications that are not illustrated can be envisagedwithout departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one ormore preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention isnot limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but ratheris defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statementscontained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodimentsand are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the inventionor on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term orphrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and variouschanges and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments,changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of theappended claims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,”“e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs“comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, whenused in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or otheritems, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listingis not to be considered as excluding other, additional components oritems. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonablemeaning unless they are used in a context that requires a differentinterpretation.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   2, 2B, 910: Protector    -   3, 3A, 3B, 912: Protector Body    -   4, 4B, 4C: Lid    -   8, 8A, 950: Attachment Member    -   9, 902: Electrical Wire    -   30: Groove    -   31, 913: Bottom    -   32, 914: Side Wall    -   33, 33A, 925: Slide Supporting Portion    -   34, 34B, 926: Receiver    -   35, 924 a: Edge Portion    -   36: Retaining Protrusion    -   37, 37B, 929: Cover    -   39, 924S: Slit    -   44, 44C: Contact Portion    -   45, 46: Protrusion    -   81, 952: Band    -   82, 82A, 954: Band Lock Portion    -   88, 88A, 957: Slidable Portion    -   100, 100A, 100B, 900: Protector-equipped Wire Harness    -   320: One Side Wall    -   441: Groove-shaped Portion    -   881, 881A, 958: Recessed Groove    -   882, 882A, 959: Slidable Side Wall    -   920: Extension Fixing Portion    -   922: Bottom Extension Portion    -   924: Side Wall Extension Portion    -   924 b: Inclined Side Wall    -   928: Coupling Portion    -   954P: Lock Protrusion    -   X: First Direction

1. (canceled)
 2. A protector-equipped wire harness comprising, anelectrical wire; a protector that includes a plate-shaped portion, aslide supporting portion that is formed so as to extend inward in afirst direction from one edge portion of the plate-shaped portion, and areceiver that is provided on a far side with respect to the slidesupporting portion, the protector being provided so as to cover at leasta portion of an outer circumferential surface of the electrical wire;and an attachment member that includes a band that can be wound aroundthe electrical wire, and a band lock portion that includes a slidableportion that is supported by the slide supporting portion so as to beslidable in the first direction, the band lock portion keeping the bandin a state of being wound around the electrical wire, wherein theprotector and the attachment member are fixed to each other in a statewhere the band lock portion of the attachment member is in contact withthe receiver, and the protector includes a retaining protrusion that islocked to the band lock portion from a side to prevent the slidableportion from coming loose from the slide supporting portion in a statewhere the band lock portion is in contact with the receiver.
 3. Aprotector-equipped wire harness comprising: an electrical wire; aprotector that includes a plate-shaped portion, a slide supportingportion that is formed so as to extend inward in a first direction fromone edge portion of the plate-shaped portion, and a receiver that isprovided on a far side with respect to the slide supporting portion, theprotector being provided so as to cover at least a portion of an outercircumferential surface of the electrical wire; and an attachment memberthat includes a band that can be wound around the electrical wire, and aband lock portion that includes a slidable portion that is supported bythe slide supporting portion so as to be slidable in the firstdirection, the band lock portion keeping the band in a state of beingwound around the electrical wire, wherein the protector and theattachment member are fixed to each other in a state where the band lockportion of the attachment member is in contact with the receiver, theslide supporting portion includes at least one of a pair of edgeportions that are located opposite to each other with respect to a slitthat extends in the first direction, the slidable portion is supportedso as to be slidable in the first direction relative to at least one ofthe pair of edge portions, and the protector-equipped wire harnessfurther includes a coupling portion that couples the pair of edgeportions, which are located opposite to each other with respect to theslit, to each other at a position that is away from a trajectory of theslidable portion sliding on the slide supporting portion.
 4. Theprotector-equipped wire harness according to claim 3, wherein the bandlock portion is provided with a lock protrusion that is locked to thecoupling portion from a side to prevent the slidable portion from comingloose from the slide supporting portion in a state where the band lockportion is in contact with the receiver.
 5. A protector-equipped wireharness comprising: an electrical wire; a protector that includes aplate-shaped portion, a slide supporting portion that is formed so as toextend inward in a first direction from one edge portion of theplate-shaped portion, and a receiver that is provided on a far side withrespect to the slide supporting portion, the protector being provided soas to cover at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface ofthe electrical wire; and an attachment member that includes a band thatcan be wound around the electrical wire, and a band lock portion thatincludes a slidable portion that is supported by the slide supportingportion so as to be slidable in the first direction, the band lockportion keeping the band in a state of being wound around the electricalwire, wherein the protector and the attachment member are fixed to eachother in a state where the band lock portion of the attachment member isin contact with the receiver, the slide supporting portion includes atleast one of a pair of edge portions that are located opposite to eachother with respect to a slit that extends in the first direction, andthe slidable portion constitutes a recessed groove that is recessed soas to allow one of the pair of edge portions to pass therethrough, andincludes at least one of a pair of slidable side walls that are providedon both sides of the recessed groove.
 6. The protector-equipped wireharness according to claim 5, wherein the pair of slidable side walls ofthe slidable portion are formed such that base end-side portions of theslidable side walls are thinner than leading end-side portions of theslidable side walls.
 7. The protector-equipped wire harness according toclaim 2, wherein the protector includes a bottom and a pair of sidewalls that protrude from the bottom, at least one of the pair of sidewalls serves as the plate-shaped portion on which the slide supportingportion is provided so as to extend in the first direction from aleading end-side portion of the side wall toward the side wall, and theelectrical wire is disposed in a groove that is defined by the bottomand the pair of side walls.
 8. The protector-equipped wire harnessaccording to claim 7, wherein the protector further includes a lid thatcovers the groove from a side that is opposite to the bottom side withrespect to the groove, and the lid includes a gripping portion thatsandwiches the pair of edge portions from an inner surface side and anouter surface side of a side wall.
 9. A protector-equipped wire harnesscomprising: an electrical wire; a protector that includes a plate-shapedportion, a slide supporting portion that is formed so as to extendinward in a first direction from one edge portion of the plate-shapedportion, and a receiver that is provided on a far side with respect tothe slide supporting portion, the protector being provided so as tocover at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface of theelectrical wire; and an attachment member that includes a band that canbe wound around the electrical wire, and a band lock portion thatincludes a slidable portion that is supported by the slide supportingportion so as to be slidable in the first direction, the band lockportion keeping the band in a state of being wound around the electricalwire, wherein the protector and the attachment member are fixed to eachother in a state where the band lock portion of the attachment member isin contact with the receiver, and a portion of the plate-shaped portion,on which the slide supporting portion is provided, protrudes moreoutward compared to portions on both sides of the portion on which theslide supporting portion is provided.
 10. A protector-equipped wireharness comprising: an electrical wire; a protector that includes aplate-shaped portion, a slide supporting portion that is formed so as toextend inward in a first direction from one edge portion of theplate-shaped portion, and a receiver that is provided on a far side withrespect to the slide supporting portion, the protector being provided soas to cover at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface ofthe electrical wire; and an attachment member that includes a band thatcan be wound around the electrical wire, and a band lock portion thatincludes a slidable portion that is supported by the slide supportingportion so as to be slidable in the first direction, the band lockportion keeping the band in a state of being wound around the electricalwire, wherein the protector and the attachment member are fixed to eachother in a state where the band lock portion of the attachment member isin contact with the receiver, one end of the band is formed continuouswith the band lock portion, the band is kept in a state of being woundaround the electrical wire such that the band penetrates through theband lock portion and the other end of the band protrudes from the bandlock portion, and the protector includes a cover that covers at least aportion of a portion around the other end of the band such that theother end of the band protrudes in the first direction.